We were lucky to catch up with Gloriana Jensen recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Gloriana, thank you so much for joining us today. There are so many topics we could discuss, but perhaps one of the most relevant is empathy because it’s at the core of great leadership and so we’d love to hear about how you developed your empathy?
I have served in the US Navy for almost 24 years now. My husband and I will be retiring on Valentine’s Day 2025. Through my years in the Navy, I have had several assignments where I either had to deliver very bad news, or worse, escort the remains of a fallen Sailor home to their family. No matter the cause of what happened, the grief on the other side looked the same. It was a never-ending exhale. A breath that you couldn’t catch. A search for an escape route to get you away from a terrible moment. All of it was pain.
On my end, all I could do was be there. I couldn’t take any of that pain away. What worse is that as I stood in uniform, people would pass by and thank me for my service. Holistically, I knew they meant well to thank me. But emotionally, I felt there was nothing in that moment that I needed to be thanked for. I was the bearer of bad news and the worst moments in a person’s life.
But it was in those moments where I truly learned that none of this was about me. That if I could be anything to someone in their worst moment, it was a focal point. Someone to can just stand there and validate their feelings. To say yes, this is awful and I am so sorry you are going through this. There is a Brené Brown short you tube video called “Empathy” that deeply resonates with me. Empathy is standing in that hole with someone and it is not to make either of your pain go away. It’s just to say, you are not alone in this.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
There are two sides of me, the entrepreneur and the woman who wants to save the world with love and comfort. Somehow, they both seem to intermix.
The entrepreneur side of me owns The Pensacola Retreat Center, a creative retreat center nestled outside of Naval Air Station Pensacola. We host classes and creative retreats that focus on the various textile arts such as sewing, quilting, yarn artistry and more. I’ve always seen sewing as a way to mend the soul. During one tour in the Navy, my husband was on submarines while I stayed on shore duty taking care of our small children. When he would deploy, I would focus on learning a new skill to help fill voids I discovered when life seemed to stand still. During one of these evolutions, I came across a sewing machine at a garage sale and thought it would be interested to connect with the women before me and go back to the days of garment and homemaking. The ability to take two pieces of fabric and bond them together to create something new was about as healing as a deep meditation on a far away mountain. To be able to create something with my own hands, and rip it apart when it didn’t feel right, all of that gave me a sense of control during a time when everything felt uncontrollable. As my retirement gift to myself, I decided to open the Pensacola Retreat Center to provide others a place to learn skills, connect with others, and develop a side of themselves they have not met yet.
The woman who wants to save the world with love and comfort decided to co-found Vicky’s Heart, Inc with my brother Julio. Last year, my sister in law Vicky passed away suddenly, leaving behind my brother and their two children Andrew and Angelina. To know Vicky was to see love in its purest form. She had a heart of gold and you could just feel it whenever you were around her. When Vicky passed, grief hit us all really hard. Through these moments, I called my brother and told him that I wanted to devote a part of my new retreat center that would be solely for making items that will be given to the community to provide comfort and warmth. Blankets for homeless, stuffies for children that are lost, beanies for those undergoing cancer treatments. Thus, Vicky’s Heart, Inc was born. As we stand up this non-profit organization, we are reminded that we can give in many ways and not all of them are monetarily. Sometimes it’s just the gift of a fabric heart that was sewn together to provide a bond between a mother and a premature baby in the NICU. Or a tiny blanket for child that had to leave their home suddenly in the middle of the night to a foster home. We are here for all of it.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Listening.
That was hard. I struggle with ADHD and PTSD and my mind wanders constantly. This can make listening very difficult but especially when it comes to listening to yourself. Take the time to sit in silence and listen to your heart and what it needs to make the next step.
Be vulnerable.
Holy Moly. That’s a hard one. It took me forever to say out loud what I wanted. Why do we feel we don’t deserve it? Sewists are funny people. We literally spend thousands of dollars on fabric and notions to make things that are never for ourselves. Yet it is nearly IMPOSSIBLE to be vulnerable and say what we want out loud as if we didn’t deserve anything. Or that people would think our dream is dumb. Or that I’m not good enough, old enough, young enough…..all of the enoughs. It really starts with that first step of listening to yourself in silence and then being vulnerable enough to say what you want out loud. To another human being, even. Maybe to the whole internet!
Take the plunge.
If you’re gonna do it, go all the way. In a matter of 2 months I bought the retreat center, built all the things, decorated (enough) all of the spaces, and began to advertise retreats. It just had to be done and not just because I just bought myself a second mortgage. It had to be done because if I didn’t just jump right in, I’d find 10,000 excuses on why this wouldn’t work.
So that’s the 3-step process I guess. Stop and listen to yourself. Be Vulnerable enough to say what you want out loud. And then jump right in or “the perfect time” to follow your dreams will always be stopped by self-doubt.
How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I am a Certified Instructor with a few companies, but I think folks will get bored of me easily if they’re just constantly coming to be to teach as if I’m the Pioneer Woman of the creative textiles world. In my journey, I am looking to collaborate with others that want to teach. Local chefs that would like to be hired if my retreaters request home-cooked meals. Photographers that would come take pictures of finished quilts. Shuttle services that would be willing to drive my retreaters to the various fabric stores in the area. In pursuit of my Minority-owned, Veteran-owned, Woman-owned business, I would like to support as many other small businesses as I can. If you think we can collaborate, lets try it out!
Tell your friends and talk about the Center, both the classes side and the non-profit side. You never know who could use a lesson on mending more than just stray pieces of fabric.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.pensacolaretreatcenter.com
- Instagram: TheCraftyGlo
- Facebook: Crafty Glo and the Pensacola Retreat Center
- Youtube: Crafty Glo
Image Credits
I was unable to upload the pictures here. I can send them via email or drop box however.
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
